Across the country in Cypress Grove
It had been a long seven months.
When she found out she was three months pregnant and going to raise a child alone, Desdemona Adare was at first afraid.
Now, not so much.
It hadn’t been easy being pregnant and working full time in a town she’d learned to despise. Coming back had been a mistake, and she was paying for it dearly.
Her feet hurt.
Her back hurt.
Her grand’mere was still pissed she had gotten knocked up by an Indian, and so was she. Then again, it had been her choice to not tell him about the baby. Once he dumped her for Elizabeth Blackhawk, her ex-best friend, there was no going back.
She’d made the decision and now it was going to be her burden to carry alone. The hate she was feeling for the people Desdemona once claimed to love filled her and threatened to boil over. It took the deep cleansing breaths to get past the rage.
There were other issues she had to deal with that were far more important than a man she despised and a woman who betrayed her. Desdemona was almost ten months pregnant now. In her heart, she believed that there’d be some maternal attachment to the child due in days. Isn’t that what should happen?
Yes, there was a cute nursery and plenty of things purchased after she sold her grand house back where she once belonged. But there was no excitement about having this child…
Alone.
If Callen Whitefox had still been at her side, possibly there would be joy and happiness, but at that moment none existed. Maybe it would come when she held her child in her arms the very first time.
Or so she hoped and prayed.
God knew she was on her own from here on out. Her grand’mere wanted nothing to do with the bastard child, and informed her of that repeatedly. This was her mistake for bedding down with an Indian, and she should have known better. Anything from here on out was weighing on her shoulders alone.
The birth.
The child’s life.
The eighteen long years before her offspring would leave the nest.
Desdemona sighed. Deep down, she wanted to call Callen and tell him about his child in hopes he’d come take it. Sadly, Desdemona swore she’d never contact any of them again, and that was her plan. Why give him a gift that he didn't deserve, especially when he opted to leave her side so easily.
Once she found out about the pregnancy, she believed there would be a strong support system for her, and that being the only reason why she opted to follow through. Although Desdemona’s half sisters and brother had held no grudge toward her after what had happened, anger still lived in their hearts, much like it did in hers. When the truth came out and Desdemona informed her step family who the father of her child was, the shit hit the fan again. When their father committed suicide and brother was killed by Elizabeth Blackhawk in that swamp, it was a brutal few weeks and no one wished to return there. The half-breed child she carried would do only one thing.
Reopen the wounds and be a daily reminder of what had happened.
No one forgave the FBI for the hell that had opened up around them. Granted, Elizabeth Blackhawk saved her life, but she also took the life of their brother. Jonathan, Holly and Ivy Delray were still damaged over the loss of Vinny, despite him being an incest enjoying, murdering nutjob.
Desdemona patted her giant belly and tried to feel maternal towards the half native baby, preparing to enter the world.
Maybe time would change her feelings.
Or maybe her heart was just too hardened over what should and could have been.
One would have to wait and see.
Until then, this was her lot in life. She was trapped in a hellish swamp, as a barely needed ME with no prospect in life. It wasn’t long ago she had it all. A six figure job, a gorgeous home, a sexy native man in her bed- my how the mighty had fallen.
Resentment filled her.
Anger surrounded her.
Where life prepared to spring free and be born, bitterness threatened to swallow it whole.
Nothing would ever be the same again.
Nothing.
~ Chapter One ~
Two weeks later
Tuesday morning.
Her laughter filled the air as they raced across the field, dodging small obstacles on horseback. The sun was shining and the air was warm. Spring was breaking, and so were the ties to the past that held Victoria Christensen prisoner in her heart and soul.
For the last two months, she’d be going to outpatient therapy at the VA hospital. The dreams were subsiding, the fears abating, and life was blossoming within her. She owed it all to the man chasing her on horseback. Julian Littlemoon arrived and saved her, dragging her back to his home on the reservation. The five weeks spent in the hospital without him nearly broke her, but his love patched her back up and was making her whole again.
He was her miracle.
Her salvation.
Pulling the horse to a stop, she dismounted and escaped to the trees, laughing. Julian was right behind her, and if he caught her, she didn’t doubt he’d keep his threat.
“Tori, you better run!” he yelled, dismounting his horse and making chase. “You think you’re funny?” Julian shouted, racing after her, closing the distance. He could see her barely ahead of him, her red hair bouncing behind her, as her laughter filled the silence of the morning.
“I’m more than funny, Julian,” she shouted back. “I’m hysterical!”
Since moving in with the man, Tori enjoyed the pranks that riled him up. Last night she filled his one riding boot with shaving cream. The look on his face was priceless, and it was well deserved payback. He put a giant plastic cockroach in her cereal box the other morning and had her screaming in shock.
“When I catch you,” he threatened, closing the gap, “I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!” Tori might have been a soldier with endurance, but he was faster and knew his way around the forest behind his home on the Rez. This was his terrain, and he was going to catch his feisty vixen and get even.
She laughed, vaulting a horizontal tree. “You haven’t caught me yet,” she replied, putting on some speed to increase her lead. If he did what he threatened, she was screwed.
Literally.
The idea warmed her to her core, and she almost wanted to let him win just to feel his arms around her body. There was nothing more perfect than Julian and his promise of heated lovemaking.
His laughter bubbled out, as he raced behind her with one sole mission in mind. The love he was feeling for her overwhelmed him. This woman was his soul mate, and there wasn’t anything he didn’t adore about her. The smoky blue eyes enthralled him and the red hair made his heart flutter. His soldier girl was beautiful inside and out. Julian hadn’t brought up the ‘marriage’ word yet, since he was waiting until her therapy was over. There was only one obstacle between them and the altar in his mind.
Her job.
Tori was still in the FBI, living over three hours away from him. When she went into the veteran’s hospital to get help for her PTSD, she’d taken a leave of absence to heal. That was coming to an end shortly, and now they were faced with the looming pink elephant in the room. He was a private investigator, just starting up his business, and neither of them were in a position to quit their jobs and move.
It still sat between them, waiting to rear its ugly head, when they least expected it.
When they parted ways three months ago, his heart was broken and destroyed. Somehow, they found their way back together again. Now, it was bliss and would remain that way, if they could just navigate their work issues.
Julian firmly believed in fate, and he didn’t doubt it would get them there, eventually.
Tori glanced over her shoulder, and Julian wasn’t far behind. His face showed nothing but intensive determination as he was on the hunt. He was planning on catching her and teaching her a lesson. His brown hair and gold specked eyes gave her so much peace of mind. In the la
st two months, everything had fallen into place.
Tori couldn’t be happier.
Every morning they’d go for a ride, and then she’d leave for her outpatient therapy. When she’d return home, he’d be there waiting for her with dinner and another trek out on horseback.
She knew the sacrifice he was making. Julian was a tracker, and that’s how he made his money. Lately, he refused to take any jobs that forced him to leave home for more than a day. It warmed her heart that he was so protective, but it worried her that he was burying his business because of her. His willingness to risk his hopes and dreams for her was astonishing.
It did more than touch her deeply, it gave her life back.
It made her believe in love once more and that she was worthy, even after all her past sins.
Now, Tori wanted desperately to reward him with something too. The man was everything to her and deep inside she longed to share the peace he’d given so willingly. Recently, she’d watched him toil and study to pass his private investigator exam. Tori was incredibly proud of him. Already, the plan in her mind had been set into motion. Julian was in for a huge surprise. It had been in the works for a couple weeks now. Honestly, it was getting hard to sneak around and finalize the plans, since Julian was all over her whenever she was home.
There was only one small detail remaining, and shortly it would all be ready to be unveiled. Now Tori only hoped he’d accept it and not ruin the surprise beforehand.
Racing around a tree, Tori stopped, trying to catch her breath. Before she could peek back around the trunk, there stood Julian, grinning triumphantly at the prize he’d managed to snag.
“Julian!” Tori jumped when he materialized before her. Damn his silent native stalking skills. Tracker her ass- he was more a predator on the prowl.
Julian trapped her between his frame and the old bark. They were both out of breath, but he didn’t mind the chase, as long as he always caught her in the end.
It was the story of their relationship. Where ever she would run, he’d certainly follow.
“I love you, Victoria,” he mumbled, running his lips across her throat and jaw.
Tori’s body shuddered at the simple touch. Whenever Julian was beside her, this was the outcome. It was raw need, instinctually forged in both of them.
“I love you too, Julian,” she answered back, easily. Running her hands up his chest, she stared into his eyes right before she kissed him.
One of Julian’s most cherished moments in his life was finally hearing her whisper those precious words. It was followed only by kissing his woman. Here in the forest and pressed against a tree added to the mystique and simply felt right. Julian deepened the kiss, reveling in the victory of not only catching her months ago and claiming her, but at that moment too.
Breaking away, Tori ran her fingers down his cheek. “Still mad at me?” she inquired, giggling.
Julian wasn’t angry, but there would be payback, and he wasn’t above playing dirty. “No, I’m far from that, Victoria.” Leaning against her, he showed her exactly what he was feeling. Mad didn’t even come close to describing it.
One of the best things about being with Julian was his large heart and how sweet he was to the depths of his soul. On the outside, he came across being secretive, silent and aloof. Once you got past the quiet exterior you found the truth; the man was gentle and full of life.
“How about we ride back to the house and you can teach me a lesson or three,” she suggested, leaving light kisses across his face lovingly.
Hell yeah! There was no way he was saying no to that offer. Naked Victoria in bed was a far better option than what he planned for the remainder of the day. “Absolutely, and since I caught you I get to have you anyway I want,” Julian added, taking her hand in his.
Then he noticed the look on her face, and he’d seen it before.
“Honey, are you okay?” he asked, concerned. To his knowledge, she hadn’t been having blackouts lately. The VA hospital and therapy seemed to be helping. This was a first in weeks, and it alarmed him.
Tori could smell it.
There was death lurking nearby.
She pulled away from the tree and his hand, searching the surroundings visually for what her mind already knew was there. In her life, she’d seen much loss. As a soldier, she’d waded through it and fought standing in the midst of it. As an FBI agent there’d been even more coating her soul and life.
This smell Tori knew well.
It repulsed her and warned her of what was coming.
Wandering through the trees, she searched for it, finding a clearing that opened to a circle. Someone had been there recently and left behind the offensive stench. “Can you smell it, Julian?” she asked, softly.
Now he was worried. Shit, if Tori was back sliding that would mean going from outpatient to inpatient. He couldn’t bear the idea that she wouldn’t be in bed beside him every night. “No Honey, I don’t smell anything but your perfume.”
She shook her head, walking into the clearing. It was there. Tori would bet her life on it.
“Victoria, come on. Let’s go home,” he cajoled, hoping to lure her away. Fear was already filling his body as happiness threatened to ebb away.
“There’s blood here somewhere.”
Now he was getting more panicked at her words. If she was detecting that scent, it didn't bode well for her mental status. “Maybe someone gutted an animal they were hunting. We’re standing in the center of a forest on the Rez. It’s a possibility.”
Inside her gut, Tori knew better. The distinguishing smell was something she’d never confuse with anything else in life. It was the musky mix of bowel and blood. Intermingling and creating a distinct odor one couldn’t forget.
Julian observed her, wondering why he couldn’t detect anything. Part of him was panicking that this was a figment of her mind. His heart broke for his poor damaged soldier, and what it would mean to go back to the VA and have to stay there.
Tori shook her head, continuing to look around; now focusing on the ground they were walking on. “No Julian, it’s human. I can tell the difference. I smell death and blood, and human decay is distinct.”
Immediately, he thought back to working for the Red River Sheriff’s Department, when he first met the Blackhawks. There’d been a killer taking men and removing body parts. When he and his old boss found the place the corpses were being left, he had his first sniff of human remains. It still stuck with him, and yet he didn’t smell it here.
“Okay Honey, then let’s look around and see what we can find,” he offered, believing that Tori wasn’t going to give up on it. His woman was determined when she was on the trail of something. Julian suspected she missed her job and solving things for a living. This simple life had to be incredibly boring to her. A little more fear filled him, at the thought of losing her again.
Tori dropped to her knees not far from a section of trees. Someone had been there recently. The dirt was all scraped up and disturbed. “How accessible is this clearing?” she inquired, picking up a tiny rock and scraping away some dirt.
“I’ve never seen it before, but we were just aimlessly running through here. I guess Natives could find it.” He watched her carefully. Julian crouched down beside her, inspecting her handiwork.
“Blood,” she answered his unspoken question. “Look!” Tori showed him the rock. “Something bled out right here and soaked into the ground. What didn’t was covered with loosely packed dirt. The rain the other day brought it to the surface.”
“Honey, it may be a camping site. If that’s the case then hunters may have caught dinner here and cleaned it.” Julian looked around, starting to get that off balance feeling. As a tracker, he could find anything, and now his acute training was detecting things previously missed.
Someone had definitely been there, and he wasn’t sure he was buying his own explanation. As Julian glanced around, there were no signs of camping, and they were too far to carry a deer out of the woods in o
ne piece. If someone had been there, they tried to erase all the evidence.
Tori stood, moving toward the dead fire. She placed her hand over it, feeling for heat. Whoever had been there left within the last few hours.
Nothing.
Julian moved around the clearing, searching the grass and bramble surrounding it. There were definitely tracks and someone had been there recently. Julian glanced over his shoulder, seeking out Tori. “Where are you going?” he asked, as she wandered further away.
“I smell it over here more,” she stated, heading toward a cluster of trees and brush. “I think it’s here, Julian!”
The man trotted across the space to stand protectively at her side. Now he did smell it. The pungent odor floated up to meet his nose, and he admitted what he wasn’t before willing to say.
There was most definitely something dead nearby.
The distinctive odor was identical to the first time he came across the dead victims of the town’s serial killer. How she knew with a simply sniff of the air astounded him.
“We have to look,” she said, touching his arm and locking her fingers around his wrist, as if he was her anchor in the oncoming storm.
Julian immediately placed her behind him, for her safety and his mental well-being.
Tori didn’t fight him, since his protectiveness was just part of the man he was inside. Julian could be archaic when it came to her, but it was just his nature. Why go to war against something you had no chance in winning. Julian Littlemoon was sexy as sin, but stubborn as a bull.
Pulling the bramble from the hidden stones, Julian inspected the scene. When entering the area, he never even noticed the cave like structure. Who ever wanted it hidden did a damn good job of camouflaging it with the surrounding area. “Stay behind me and if I tell you run, do it!” he demanded, lowering his voice.
Tori didn’t speak. If she did, she’d tell him there was no way in hell she was running from whatever was in that cave and leaving him behind.
Never going to happen!
Julian pulled out his keychain, using the tiny light that was hanging there. It wasn’t much, but it was better than wandering into a cave blind. There could be wild, hungry animals making it their home. He could feel Tori’s hand on his lower back, reassuringly reminding him she was with him. Stepping into the mouth of the fissure, the odor was now even more pungent and overpowering.
Darkness Of Truth (An FBI/Romance Thriller~ Book 6) Page 2
